Ecstatic With the View
by Running Up Fawn
Summary: Jack/Samantha. Short fluffy little piece at an indetermined point in time.


Title: Ecstatic With the View  
  
Author: Lauren / Running Up Fawn  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Samantha, Jack, Vivian, Danny and Martin are not mine. They belong to CBS, Steinberg and Bruckheimer. Lincoln Rhyme is also not mine (I wish); he belongs to Jeffrey Deaver. The title is a line from Guster's "Rocketship", but this isn't a songfic.  
  
Author's Note: Below is the result of my excruciating boredom after certain sections of the SATs. Lincoln Rhyme is a character found in many of Jeffrey Deaver's excellent books (The Bone Collector, The Coffin Dancer, The Empty Chair, etc.), and I included him because I love his character. This is set just before, or at the very beginning of Sam and Jack's affair. No spoilers.  
  
Samantha could barely sit still long enough to type the last of her report. She was flying high, thrilled as she recalled the details of the past two hours. The team had been working the kidnapping of an eighteen year old girl who disappeared from her college dorm the day before. Through some incredible forensic work in the dorm room, they had discovered the kidnapper's general whereabouts based on the trace amounts of dust and soil he had tracked into the room. It had been Samantha's idea to enlist the assistance of Lincoln Rhyme, a paralyzed but extraordinary criminalist whose vast knowledge of New York extended beyond anyone in the Bureau's. He had examined the dust and soil, and, in an astonishing display of his genius, narrowed their search down to a three block radius.  
It took all of Samantha's restraint not to add a line of exclamation points after the last sentence of her report, as she concluded her description of the incredible teamwork the agents had demonstrated when racing to find the kidnapper's safe house within the three blocks determined by Lincoln Rhyme. It was tiring, old-fashioned police work, but when they established which house was his and entered just in time to prevent the terrified young girl from suffering what could have been a fatal blow to the head, all of Samantha's exhaustion disappeared. And even after the man had been taken into custody and the girl returned to her family, Sam's adrenaline was still soaring. It had taken her at least fifteen minutes to relax enough to begin her report, and now, as she finished, she noticed that she and Jack were the only ones left in the office. Martin and Danny had left together earlier to work off excess energy playing laser tag, or something like that, and Vivian had retired home to her family. Samantha couldn't keep a grin off her face as her eyes met Jack's, across the hall typing his own report.  
Jack was absurdly pleased with the phenomenal teamwork his agents had shown when working this particular case. He was especially proud of Samantha, for her insistence upon using Lincoln Rhyme as a resource. It had been a stroke of genius, and he knew they would have been too late to save the girl without his help. It was one of the qualities that made Samantha an exceptional agent; she was fiercely independent but also knew when to ask for help. Jack concluded his report and made his way to the elevator, falling into step beside the blonde woman.  
"That was excellent work today, Sam," he spoke as the elevator doors opened and the pair stepped inside. Samantha accepted the praise gracefully, a slight blush covering her usually pale neck and face as she smiled up at him. Her brown eyes were sparkling, and she began recounting the day's events as they rode the slow elevator down to the lobby. Jack was perfectly content with this; he loved listening to and watching Samantha when she talked. Everything about her became more animated; her hands flew everywhere when she wanted to make a point, and the lilt and tone of her melodic voice were especially pleasing as Jack let the words wash over him. He hadn't seen Samantha this happy in weeks, and her energy was contagious.  
  
For a second, Samantha stopped talking and allowed herself a moment to revel in the chemistry between them, crackling in its intensity. She didn't know if it was because of the elation they were both feeling over the case, or if this deep connection had always been there and chose this particular moment to surface. Either way, Sam found herself basking in the glow that was emanating from his dark eyes as he held her gaze, both floating in the pleasant haze surrounding them.  
"It feels so good," Sam spoke, and, as Jack nodded, they both knew she meant more than the case. The elevator doors opened, and Jack was struck by the sudden desire to stay right here with Samantha. He hated the idea of going home, to the darkness and cold he knew would be there waiting for him. Just merely looking at Sam lightened him and filled him with a kind of ecstatic joy that was unwilling to let go of. Blushing slightly, and hating himself for it, he spoke.  
"Do you, um..want to get something to eat?" It was horribly embarrassing, and Jack had no idea why he was suddenly so shy, but he was rewarded with Samantha's bright grin as she answered in the affirmative.  
Gently, Jack placed his hand on her back as they left the building together. Both were oblivious to the shockingly cold air that greeted them, each aware only of the other's presence and the bright warmth that enveloped them.  
  
[end] 


End file.
